On the Edge is Your Hope
by SnoweRestless
Summary: Vaan always wanted to be a sky pirate. When he's finally able to attend the local sky academy, he's ecstatic. Until he meets his teacher, Balthier, and things fall apart. BalVaan, others.
1. Happy Birthday

**On The Edge is Your Hope**

**Disclaimer: Square is my idol, but sadly I'm not actually apart of it. I'm just writing what was always intended between Balthier and Vaan, anyway.**

**Summary: Vaan Camui has always wanted to be a Sky Pirate. For his 17th birthday, his brother Reks allows him to finally attend the local Sky Academy. When he meets his legendary teacher Balthier Lhusu, things get a little complicated.**

**A/N: As far as I'm concerned, Reks is entirely too cool and pretty to be taken out of the game so early. So guess who's a key player here! This is AU, kinda. It follows a lot of what happens in FF XII, but I definitely took some artistic license. Therefore, no real spoilers, but I'll let you know beforehand if I'm going to touch on something that happens in the game later on. Because I know how pissed off I was when I found out died in Harry Potter 7 off a frickin fanfic. Bastards shakes fist**

**Warnings: Homosexuality, teacher/student relations, swear words, blood, drama, politics, all that good stuff that makes a good yaoi story.**

...

"Happy Birthday, kid." Reks Camui smiled at his younger brother Vaan as the boy dug into his eggs. He pulled out a chair and sat down at the small kitchen table, pushing two red packages toward the fairer blond.

"Thanks, Reks," Vaan grinned, eying the packages eagerly. He'd bet 12 chocobos that big one was a sword!

"Can't believe you're already 17," Reks sighed, staring at his baby brother. He still looked 15 to him, and yet he was already a man. It'd been five years already…

"Can I open these or what?" Vaan asked bluntly around a mouthful of his breakfast, staring expectantly at Reks, who winced at his view of the first stages of digestion.

15, indeed.

Reks glanced up at the clock hanging from the bright yellow walls of the kitchen. Their mother had loved the color, saying it reminded her of sunlight.

"We may live in Lowtown," she'd laughed as 10-year-old Reks had asked her why she was in ratty coveralls with a yellow brush in her hand. She handed him a foam roller dipped in pale yellow paint and returned to her own wall. "But that doesn't mean we can't have our own sunlight!"

The paint was fading now.

"Wait five more minutes, bro." Reks said, trying to ignore the pang from the impromptu memory. He pushed away from the table as Vaan threw down his fork.

"What? Why?" he demanded, and Reks ruffled his hair firmly, earning a squawk of indignation out of Vaan.

"Because I still haven't eaten anything yet, you pig." He said, helping himself to a sweet donut from the countertop.

"You take two seconds to eat! You never eat anything! Come on, Reks!" Vaan griped, and Reks scowled at him as the doorbell rang.

Vaan leapt up and skirted through the living room. He ripped open the door, pulling up the bars as he saw familiar braids.

"Penelo! Kytes! Migelo- wow, what's going on? Is everything ok?" He asked hurriedly.

"Everything's fine!" Penelo laughed, launching onto Vaan. "Happy Birthday, Vaan! Ooh!" She exclaimed, jumping back to reveal a grinning Kytes holding a large package. It was wrapped in cheery blue wrapping with little chocobo print, chosen by Penelo, no doubt.

"Presents!"

Vaan stood back as the family filed in, Reks smiling knowingly as he shook hands with the older Bangaa.

Penelo trotted into the kitchen, grabbing a handful of sweet donuts. Vaan trailed after her, resuming his meal as he gave a warning about her weight, and what would happen if she kept tossing back those donuts.

"Thanks again for this, Migelo." Reks said quietly to the older male in the living room. Kytes had dropped the large package on the couch, whereupon Migelo added his own three brightly wrapped packages to the pile.

"It is in the best interests of all of us, I believe," the Bangaa rasped back at Reks. "Anyway, I couldn't take much more of Penelo and Vaan quarreling in my shop all day," he admitted, and as if in response, Vaan yelled from the kitchen followed by a distressing crash.

"Get in here!" Reks yelled over the laughter of Kytes and Penelo. "And bring the presents," he barked at Vaan, who came out first, looking guilty. He turned and sped back into the kitchen, running into Penelo, who shrieked, and another crash sounded. Reks closed his eyes briefly.

After Vaan brought the presents in without further incident and the two families had all settled down, some sitting on the floor due to the small amount of space, Reks left for his room, coming back with three pink packages.

Vaan eyed them with much trepidation, while Penelo fawned over the color, before staring in confusion at Reks as he dumped them into her lap. He smiled tightly at her before going to sit next to Vaan.

"Well, Penelo, since your birthday is only a few weeks away, we've decided to combine yours with Vaan's." He said in response to her flurry of questions.

Vaan looked vaguely put out, his lower lip pushing forward. He didn't want to share his birthday; it was his day for celebration!

He accepted his presents sulkily, happiness from earlier fading fast as he saw the pile from Migelo cut in half for Penelo. And she got three from Reks, while he only got two, what the heck?

Reks had indeed bought him a sword, which left him considerably cheered, along with a package containing an odd looking outfit of blue with white trim. Migelo's family had pitched in to buy him a large sky ship model to be put together, much to his delight, along with a football and a new pair of gloves and boots.

Penelo was delighting over her new hair bows and slippers when Migelo cleared his throat, and Reks glanced up at him, nodding slightly.

"Penelo, Reks, we have something exciting to tell you," he rasped, his floppy ears swinging in front of him. Penelo dropped her hands into her lap and Vaan looked up from running his fingers over the blade of his new sword.

"In addition to these gifts, well, Reks and I have decided to send you both to the Sky Academy."

**A/N: Whoo, Vaan, you lucky bastard! I wish MY family would give in to my dreams! Anyway, not a lot happening here in this chapter, and –gasp- no Balthier. Fear not though, he'll be making his appearance next chapter. Can't leave our main man out in the cold now, can we?**

**Reviews are like payment. Don't be stingy now!**


	2. Academy Orientation

**On The Edge is Your Hope**

**Disclaimer: Square is my idol, but sadly I'm not actually apart of it. I'm just writing what was always intended between Balthier and Vaan, anyway.**

**Summary: Vaan Camui has always wanted to be a Sky Pirate. For his 17th birthday, his brother Reks allows him to finally attend the local Sky Academy. When he meets his legendary teacher Balthier Lhusu, things get a little complicated.**

**Warnings: Homosexuality, teacher/student relations, swear words, blood, drama, politics, all that good stuff that makes a good yaoi story.**

**A/N: Balthier makes his appearance, yay! And a double update, so you're not disappointed at the end of this one, yay! And thank you for the reviews! :D I'm going back and editing the first chapter, since I don't know how, but after going back and reading through I discovered that I had uploaded my first draft D:  
**

**Regarding one review- yes. Balthier's and Vaan are going to dislike each other. Immensely. Why? Because I enjoy the thrill of the chase.**

...

Vaan stared at the little square of paper in his hands, licking his lips and swallowing for the umpteenth time. He hadn't been this nervous since three years ago, when Penelo had decided she needed a boyfriend and had started giving Vaan very long looks, all narrowed eyes and smirks.

At least then Vaan could hide in his room and beg Reks to tell her he wasn't there, or better yet, that he was already married, every time Penelo came to call. Now, however…as nervous as Vaan was, he didn't want to hide. He could not believe that he was going to school to be a Sky Pirate.

He was currently seated on a wrought iron bench in the middle of a beautifully decorated courtyard outside of the Dalmasca Sky Academy, trying desperately to look like he fit in with all the other blue uniformed students.

He could tell by the accents of the people holding conversations around him that at least 90 of the new student group he was apart of was definitely not from Lowtown. In Lowtown, there was no time to squander words- too much work to be done, and too many different races to try and communicate with.

Half the time, Lowtowners would grunt, nod or shake their heads, and when they did talk, it was short and to the point. But here, the conversations were drawled out in bored tones, with pretentious sounding light laughter.

That was another thing Lowtown didn't see a lot of; laughter.

Vaan swallowed again, dragging his eyes up from the paper to peer cautiously around from under his bangs.

"This is so exciting, Vaan! I can't believe it- we're actually going to be sky pirates!" Penelo had apparently finished with her quick run about the courtyard, meeting new faces and making new friends. Penelo had gained a lot of confidence since she had started dancing on the streets for some extra gil when Migelo's shop hadn't been doing so well, and now everyone was a potential friend to Penelo.

She sat down flush against his side, pressing her knees together and tapping her fingers on her thighs in an excited tattoo. Her outfit was similar to Vaan's, the only difference being the cut, which was tailored more for feminine curves.

"What's up?" She asked cheerfully, bumping his shoulder with hers. "Aren't you excited? This is what we've been waiting for, and now Migelo and Reks can finally afford it. So why are you looking down?"

"I am excited," he admitted, swallowing again. And he was. He was very excited. But all of these people…

"Then what's the problem?" She asked, genuinely confused. She leaned back against the bench and tugged on one of her new hair ribbons, staring at Vaan's back.

"It's just, Penelo," he said softly, so as not to be easily overheard. "Don't you feel really out of place here? I mean…half these people don't even sound like they're from Dalmasca, let alone Rabanstre. That kid," he nodded his head to a boy twenty feet away from them sipping from a cup at the refreshment table. "He's wearing a Bhujerban flag on his bag. To come all this way to go to school…that had to have cost some money."

Penelo untied and retied her hair braids, smoothing down her shirt as she considered.

"Hmmm. No, I can't say that I agree, Vaan. Everyone's here to learn to be in the sky. Who cares about money now! We all have to do our best here. Work hard, learn all that we can, and _not. steal."_She finished, practically growling, glaring at Vaan, who bristled immediately.

"Hey! I haven't done anything yet, I don't deserve-"his defense was cut off, however, by the arrival of 10 erratically dressed characters on the large stage built directly to the side of the front doors of the academy.

The chattering around Vaan lowered considerably, and everyone turned towards the stage as one of the new arrivals stepped towards the front.

The man was dark-skinned and bald, and Vaan would bet even he wasn't from Dalmasca.

"Greetings, students!" His deep voice rang out over the crowd, sounding very cultured and foreign, and Vaan nodded his head absently. Definitely not from Dalmasca. "I am Foris Zecht. However, to many of you, I will soon be known as Professor Reddas." He turned his head slowly, surveying the crowd, and Vaan wondered if he was mentally picking out who looked to be prime material for his class, before sitting up straighter.

A real sky pirate was talking to them, to him.

"As you can see," he boomed, waving his arm back to encompass the nine other people behind him, and they all stepped forward. "We have ten professors at this school. Only 100 students are allowed in each year. You will be sorted first by your study- Sky Pirate, or CoPilot- and then by your family name. We will begin now."

Vaan licked his lips excitedly.

"Future sky pirates, please congregate at the left side of the courtyard; future copilots, at the right."

Vaan stood up, turning to say goodbye and wish good luck to Penelo, but she was already trotting off to the right side of the courtyard. Vaan glared briefly at her back.

"Yeah, good luck," he muttered, before turning and heading off to the left, hyper-aware of the people following suit. He wondered who would be in his class, and which teacher he got.

Five of the people on the stage walked down the stairs to the right, and five to the left. The only woman who came down the left side stood in front of the students, looking very commanding.

"Alright," she called. "I'll be calling out groups of letters and assigning them to one of the professors here. If your family name falls within the group I call, you will follow the directions and head to the professor. Any questions?" She sounded very firm and of little humor. Vaan bet she was an excellent teacher. He drew himself up, hoping she might be his professor.

"Alright," she said again. "Allow me to introduce your professors."

The woman introduced herself as Professor Drace , and her associates, Professors Rasler, Basch, and Reddas from earlier. Vaan's gaze lingered over each one, wondering what they could teach him, until she introduced Professor Balthier Lhusu, and Vaan decided immediately that he didn't want to know anything that he could teach him.

His light brown hair was styled short and his bangs were combed back in a way that was very popular among young boys in Dalmasca. His skin looked smooth, unmarred and firm, showing no signs of battle scars, along with his straight nose, which had obviously never been broken. His hazel eyes were as playful as his smile, nothing like the unyielding authority the professors wore about them.

He wore tailored clothing that looked better fit for Vayne himself, save for the bright bracelets and rings, which Vaan failed to understand the purpose of. Surely those gaudy items weren't worth a single gil!

And anyway, Vaan groused to himself, exactly how young ­_was_ this guy? He shifted his weight away from the man, hoping he didn't get stuck with that bozo. He guessed that he was a recent graduate himself, maybe, and they'd needed to fill in for another professor.

"Those with a family name ending in A through E," Vaan perked up, swallowing excitedly. He was still nervous as hell, but he was finally on his way to being a sky pirate. Finally, FINALLY.

"Please accompany Professor Lhusu to the back training grounds," Drace finished, and Vaan's eyes widened impossibly as he felt his face twist into a look of horror.

Disappointment settled in his stomach, and he gripped the piece of paper in his hands, the little slip of parchment certifying his acceptance to Sky Academy, tight enough to permanently crease it.

**A/n: Tsk, tsk, Vaan. Thou shalt not judge the leading man**

**A couple things to mention: This story will focus mainly only on Vaan's class, and maybe a few side chapters about Penelo's, and we'll be seeing very little of the other instructors. Say bye-bye to all that testosterone for now.**

**Also, about Balthier's eyes- now, apparently, they're supposed to be gray, or light blue, according to the character sketches and descriptions. However, in the game, I saw hazel, and on my beautiful poster right next to my bed, I see hazel. So we're sticking with hazel, if no one objects.**

**Onto the next chapter, but please review this chapter, hmm?**


	3. Professor Balthier's Class

**On The Edge is Your Hope**

**Disclaimer: Square is my idol, but sadly I'm not actually apart of it. I'm just writing what was always intended between Balthier and Vaan, anyway.**

**Summary: Vaan Camui has always wanted to be a Sky Pirate. For his 17th birthday, his brother Reks allows him to finally attend the local Sky Academy. When he meets his legendary teacher Balthier Lhusu, things get a little complicated.**

**Warnings: Homosexuality, teacher/student relations, swear words, blood, drama, politics, all that good stuff that makes a good yaoi story.**

**A/N: Enjoy the second part of the update! :D  
**

...

Vaan looked around at his class. The professor who was taking the V through Z group had apparently encountered a very common family name, and had taken almost a third of the students with him.

Vaan's class consisted of only five students, all of them boys, three of which looked exactly alike- thick, dumb and rich. In fact, all of the boys, except for Vaan of course, looked rich. Almost as rich as their young professor.

Vaan looked back at said professor, cursing his situation anew. The class had gone to back training grounds, which was full of trees, bushes and obstacle course, and headed straight for a little copse of willow trees to the side. They were all perched on the ground while their professor dug through a metal box in front of him.

"Alright," he said at length, his voice smooth and lightly accented, though his coloring suggested Dalmascan roots. The other boys immediately sat up straighter, indicating their full attention. Vaan raised a lazy eyebrow and examined the laces on his shoes, twisting his ankle this way and that.

"Now, I'm going to do some preliminary tests with you all here, so I can sort of feel out what level you're all on-"

"What level are you on?" Vaan asked loudly, still staring at his shoes. There was a pause, before the man answered, sounding amused.

"Level 86," he said, and the other boys shifted, obviously impressed. Vaan surely would have been impressed as well, had he believed him.

"Hmm. That's a high level for someone your age," he said, finally meeting the other man's eyes. He raised his eyebrow again, feigning a look of surprise. "However did you manage that?"

"Disrespectful street rat," one of the other boys who looked like a clone muttered, and through Vaan felt heat spread across the bridge of his nose from the insult, he didn't break his gaze with Balthier.

"Well, now, that's why you're in this class. I am going to teach you that." Balthier paused. "Obviously." He looked supremely amused, a smirk playing at his mouth, only further serving to irritate Vaan.

He had been hoping Balthier would be stuttering and flustered at being caught in a lie, or at least kicking him out of his class. This amusement wasn't doing anything to help Vaan's situation.

"Hm." Vaan said, shortly, before directing his attention to his shoes again.

"Obviously we need to get to know each other better," Balthier said cheerily, and Vaan glanced up at him sharply. "Let's introduce ourselves, shall we?" His question was directed at the entire class, but he was staring directly at Vaan, who shifted uneasily under the scrutiny.

"I'll start." He said, turning his mischievous gaze to the sky as he recited his information. "My name, as you already know, is Balthier Lhusu. I am 22 years old. I am a level 86, my quickenings are: Fires of War, Tides of Fate, and Element of Treachery, and my preferred Esper is Famfrit. My copilot's name is Fran, and she is a Viera. My hobbies include treasure-hunting, sleeping and gambling." He paused, glancing around the group of boys, before his eyes widened. "Oh. And, my favorite food is Urstrix Steak." He smiled pleasantly, eyes curving into slits, before turning his head to the boy on his left and nodding.

"My name is Wedge Semps, of Semps Chocobo Breeding," he was the thickest of the three look-alikes, and Vaan sunk a little further into the grass he was sitting in. Semps Chocobo Breeding was famous all over Ivalice for its quality, and thus its high pricing. "I'm 20 years old, and I'm at level 19. My quickening is Moon Cry, I've never used an Esper, and my CoPilot will be the top graduating student of the CoPilot group. My hobbies include shopping, breeding chocobos- obviously- and collecting Air Ships. My favorite food is Cactoid Salad with Mandarin dressing." He finished, keeping a perfectly blank face the entire time. He glanced to his left in turn.

The next two boys, who were part of the group who looked exactly alike, were named Biggs and Jesse, and had almost the exact same thing to say as Wedge, the only difference being their ages, which were 19 and 18, respectively. They were brothers, as Vaan had guessed, and apparently they even shared the same quickening.

Vaan was next, and he cleared his throat, sitting up straighter, looking directly at Balthier, who met his gaze and smiled pleasantly once more. Vaan didn't smile back.

"I'm Vaan Camui, and I just turned 17." One of the Semps brothers snickered at his age, and he drew himself up, pride lacing his next words. "I'm a level 25, and I have two quickenings: Red Spiral and White Whorl. I've never used an Esper, either. My copilot will be Penelo Fenrir. She's a dancer," he said snidely, remembering Balthier's comment on his CoPilot. "A real good one, too. She's already in the CoPilot class right now. My hobbies are football, walking around the town, and earning money the good old fashioned way." He smirked. "Oh. And my favorite food is dumplings."

He turned his head to the red-haired boy beside him, and the boy smiled briefly at him.

"Well, my name's Denzel Strife, and I'm 18. I'm at level 22, and I don't have a quickening yet, heh," the redhead scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, but didn't appear ashamed, much to Vaan's surprise. "I also haven't tried any Espers, and my copilot will be Marlene Wallace, she's also taking the CoPilot class right now," he nodded to Vaan, who smiled slightly. Maybe this kid was okay, at least. "She's really adept at healing, but I don't know about dancing or being a Viera. I like fishing, football, eating and making new drinks. Hmm…I like Jell-O with fruit in it." He finished with an easy grin, and Vaan found himself returning it.

Balthier smiled at the group, before lifting up the package he had pulled from the box.

"Okay, now that we all know each other, let's get back to what I was initially doing, shall we? Now, I know you all gave me your levels, but I can't be positive if that's true or not. I can't have students whose levels I don't know, and when we merge with other groups for additional training, the other instructors need to know what level you are, as well. So, I'll be giving you all bracelets that will indicate your level."

"Will they be like your bracelets?" Vaan asked, disgust clear in his voice, and Denzel shifted next to him, raising a hand to cover his mouth as he turned a snicker into a polite cough, apologizing under his breath, making Vaan grin. Balthier smiled widely at Vaan.

"I'm afraid you'll not find bracelets like mine so easily, young Vaan." He said, and Vaan's grin fell immediately. "No, these bracelets will be faintly colored, but they will look like regular old stripped metal, unless the person knows to look for a color. Then, of course, they will be able to surmise which level you are at."

He handed the first band to Wedge, who attempted to shove it over his meaty fist, pushing his skin back like dough before it finally reached his thick wrist, where it fit snugly. It glowed slightly, before turning a deep copper color.

Balthier nodded.

"Level 19, alright." He said, before handing a bracelet to Biggs, and then to Jesse, the same procedure taking place for each, although Jesse had a slightly easier time getting his on.

Balthier then reached across the loose circle to hand one to Vaan, who reluctantly reached out to take it, understanding Balthier's reasoning. He made an effort not to come into contact with Balthier's hand, plucking the bracelet with two fingers, which seemed to amuse Balthier.

Everything amuses Balthier, Vaan thought angrily. He's a damn loon- he'd probably laugh if I said a curse word in front of him.

He slipped the bracelet easily over his hand. Living in Lowtown didn't give one the luxury of a full body, and Vaan worked hard to fill himself out. He didn't want to be scrawny like the other boys of Lowtown, so he was always training, sparring and working with Reks to define himself.

The metal warmed his skin as it glowed briefly, and he felt his stomach churn briefly, before the bracelet turned a muted green.

"Aha, Vaan. It appears you're actually a level 26. I wonder how that misconception happened," Balthier said lightly, and Vaan blushed, hearing the mocking for what it was. He was, however, pleased at his higher level. He was catching up with Reks.

Balthier handed one to Denzel, who also had no trouble fitting it onto his slim wrist. He was obviously wealthy, but apparently he choose to be thin, as he was lighter even than Vaan. It glowed before settling a dark brown, and Balthier nodded, confirming his earlier claim of 22 as his level.

"Okay," Balthier said, rubbing his hands together, causing his multiple bracelets to clink against each other. "Now, I'll need to know your fighting style, overall health, license level, and all that information. And since none of you have worked with an esper before, I think we'll do some meditation, to determine your compatibility with the elements. I'm going to come around with this," he trailed off, digging through the box again, before lifting up a little clamp. "I'll put this on your finger and read your information, each of you, before we get to some meditation, alright?"

He worked his way around the group, taking about 20 minutes for each reading. When he reached Vaan, the boy held his finger out stiffly. Balthier's hand was cool when he steadied Vaan's wrist, and Vaan couldn't help but notice the underlying strength in the grip. He might not have been at level 86, but he was definitely above the 20's level, maybe even in the 40's, like Reks.

Vaan looked around as Balthier sat next to him, holding his wrist and staring at the clamp, occasionally scribbling something on his notebook.

The three Semps brothers were talking to each other, and a Giza Plains hare had approached Denzel, who was attempting to feed it bits of the grass they were resting on.

"Are you qualified to teach this class?" Vaan decided to ask while everyone was preoccupied. Balthier did not look up from the clamp on his finger, only smiling widely.

"I'd like to think so," he said, his voice sounding as humored as ever, annoying Vaan.

"Why do you think everything's so funny?" he asked before he could stop himself, and scowled, wishing he could take the childish question back. Balthier glanced up to meet his eyes before looking back down at the clamp again, turning to scribble in his notebook.

"I find humor in the littlest things, I suppose," he said, and Vaan looked at him, unimpressed.

"That's not very befitting of a sky pirate," he said matter-of-factly, and Balthier actually let out a little chuckle at this, turning to face Vaan.

"And you would know about what is typical of a sky pirate, would you? Let me guess," he rolled his eyes upwards, tapping his chin exaggeratedly, before glancing back down at Vaan, as if he had come upon an epiphany. "You read all about sky pirates in the papers. Heard the gossip from the city folk of their encounters. Maybe, you even have your favorite sky pirate heroes, and, even, a little miniature air ship. My," he said in awe. "That makes you quite the expert."

Vaan flushed at Balthier's words. He felt shamed, and turned his head to the side, only to see that Denzel had glanced up at some point, and he briefly met his eyes before Denzel looked back to the rabbit.

"I know what it's like to take a dream seriously," he said, desperately trying to save face in front of the man he was growing to hate more by the second. "And I know you don't take this dream seriously." He finished, his jaw set.

Balthier looked up at him, just as seriously, looking even younger without the smiles and crinkled eyes.

"Who said anything about this being my dream?" He asked Vaan.

"Then why are you doing it?" Vaan sneered, and Balthier took the clamp off his finger, standing up. He didn't answer Vaan, and went to sit next to Denzel, putting the clamp on his finger.

Vaan glared at his back.

What's the point of being a sky pirate if it's not your dream? It's not exactly something someone decides to do to pay the bills. He knew Balthier was a useless professor. He knew it.

After Balthier had finished with Denzel and placed the items back in the box, he sat down again and instructed them all to close their eyes and focus on the nature around them- the brush of the wind currents, the solidness of the ground beneath them, the moistness in the air signaling rain, and the warmth of the sun.

Together, the group slowly sank into a meditative state. Vaan felt very aware of the heat of the sun on his skin, warming him even through the shade. He had always loved the sun, and he breathed in deeply, enjoying the intensified warmth brought about by the meditation.

After about 40 minutes of that, Balthier's voice brought them back to full consciousness, and he asked what each boy had focused on.

The two older brothers had been taken by the comfort of the ground beneath them, holding them up, and the younger one, in a shocking display of being different from his brothers, admitted the air had felt soothing against his skin.

"I was fixated on the warmth of the sun," he said, and Balthier stared at him for a second before the left side of his mouth lifted slightly, looking amused again. Before Vaan could ask what was so damn funny, Balthier turned to Denzel, who had enjoyed the cool dampness of moisture on the air.

Balthier stood up and stretched his arms above his head, and the other boys followed suit. It had been three hours since they had arrived at the academy, and the classes were only supposed for two hours a day.

They were more than ready to go home.

"Tomorrow: bring your weapons, and meet out here again. We're going to focus on physical training for a while, before we start of the theory and science of sky pirating," he said, before dismissing them.

Vaan was the first to leave, nodding briefly to Denzel before he headed to the front of the academy to the bench he had been sitting on in the beginning.

Apparently Penelo's class wasn't over yet, so he sat down to wait for her.

He scowled at the ground.

He hoped Balthier would be fighting them individually.

"To test our levels," he said aloud in a mocking tone.

He really hoped they fought one on one, because he was going to enjoy taking Balthier down.

**A/N: About Marlene and Denzel…well, I needed a couple more characters in there. I was tempted to use a ready-made friendly face, like maybe Zell or Tidus, but I'm just not into the whole whoring out other FF characters. I'll leave that to Kingdom Hearts, as they do it better than I ever could. So I used two lesser characters, but they're going to be how I want them to, so either consider them as OCs, or prepare for some OOCness.**

**Why didn't I just make two new OCs? Because, I have no idea what I would name them, and I actually hate OCs. I rarely find one that I can appreciate.**

**I realize Vaan seems a little petulant and angry in this, but honestly, that's how I'd see him reacting to adversity, you know? He's practically Aladdin, anyway. "I'm NOT a street rat! And I don't have fleas!"**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed, please review if you did. :D  
**


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